The Duchess of Cambridge takes part in wine tasting during a visit to the Amisfield Winery on April 13, 2014 in Queenstown, New Zealand. Arthur Edwards, Pool/Getty Images.Arthur Edwards, Pool/Getty Images
/ Canada.com

Prince William and Kate walk in a vineyard as they visit the Amsfield Winery. Fiona Goodall, Pool.Fiona Goodall, Pool
/ Canada.com

Kate stumbles as she walks through the vineyard with Prince William. Its unclear if this happened before or after the wine tasting. Arthur Edwards, Pool/Getty Images.Arthur Edwards, Pool/Getty Images
/ Canada.com

TOPSHOTS Britain's Prince William (R) and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge (L), take part in a visit to the Amisfield Winery in Queenstown on April 13, 2014. Britain's Prince William, his wife Kate and their son Prince George are on a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Fiona GoodallFiona GOODALL/AFP/Getty ImagesFiona Goodall, Pool, AFP/Getty Images
/ Canada.com

William (2nd row-2nd L-with sunglasses) and Kate (2nd row-2nd R), take a ride on the "Shotover Jet" in the New Zealand city of Queenstown. Fiona Goodall, AFP/Getty Images.Fiona Goodall, AFP/Getty Images
/ Canada.com

Related

Whether or not they are believers in fate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge must have smiled wryly to themselves when they looked at their diary Sunday morning.

After the Duke of Cambridge triggered pregnancy rumours the previous day, the couple’s schedule included a wine-tasting session followed by a white-knuckle ride on a jet boat, meaning the Duchess, like it or not, could not avoid the question of whether or not she was expecting.

The answer? A resounding “no” — signalled by her enthusiasm for sampling local wines and by her negative response when the skipper of a jet boat asked if any of the passengers were pregnant.

Indeed, the Duchess told wine-makers how much she was enjoying being able to drink again after abstaining for nine months during her pregnancy with Prince George.

The end of the pregnancy speculation, which started when the Duke told a shawl-maker she might have to make “another one” after she gave one to Prince George, will be a relief to the Royal household, for whom such distractions from the carefully planned tour tend to be an irritation.

Day seven of the couple’s visit to New Zealand took them to the mountain scenery of Queenstown on South Island. At the Amisfield winery on the shores of Lake Hayes, the Duchess faced her first “pregnancy test” of the day.

She sipped a couple of varieties of pinot noir and a dry riesling. Hannah Armstrong, from Mud House Wines, said: “Kate said she hadn’t drunk whilst pregnant with George and although she doesn’t drink much she was really enjoying the odd glass. She said William likes his wine. I said, ‘And, of course, Harry!’ She laughed and agreed.”

John Darby, owner of Amisfield, showed the royal couple round the vineyard. He said: “When it gets very cold we use helicopters to stop the frost over the vines by hovering above and stirring up the cold air.”

The Duke exclaimed: “If you ever need a spare pilot, I’m here! But we should stop talking and start drinking.”

Michelle Morpeth, of Wooing Tree Vineyard, said: “Kate said her husband was the wine expert and she always followed his advice — and that he was normally right.”

After visiting the vineyard the couple went to Shotover River, home of the Shotover Jet, a boat that takes passengers on a thrilling 80 km/h canyon ride passing within inches of rock walls.

The skipper, Wayne Paton, went through the safety drill, which included asking if anyone had heart problems or was pregnant. The Duchess did not put up her hand, so it was on with the 25-minute ride.

The royal couple beamed with excitement as Mr Paton sped through the canyon performing 360-degree turns.

Paton said: “They loved it, the Prince wanted me to go closer to the rocks. He said, ‘You can go closer than that.’”

“There were some screams but not from them. It didn’t seem to faze him at all. He was right into it and so was the Duchess.”

The Daily Telegraph

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.